Page 68 of His Forbidden Alliance

“I think Tommy had a few people he knew who watched his stuff when he got an odd job here or there. He did the same for them, but he didn’t really have friends. He’d let me buy him a meal, and of course, I paid him for information. I think that was the main way he survived.”

Rafe pushed a hand into my hair and began to massage my scalp. It felt so fucking good. “Tell me the rest.”

It was like he was pulling the words from me. “If I hadn’t pushed him, if I’d insisted on getting him help, if I’d not tried so hard to get information about Ivanov, about other young men who disappeared, then—” I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed the heels of my hands into them, trying to stop the tears.

Rafe pulled me back against him and kissed my shoulder. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t hurt him. You tried your best to help him. I’m so sorry.”

He wrapped his arms around me, and I put my hands over his. When he nuzzled into the crook of my shoulder, I couldn’t stop the tears anymore.

“It’s okay. Let them come,” Rafe said. “Have you ever cried for him before? Did you let yourself grieve at all?”

I shook my head. I hadn’t let myself cry. I’d pushed on past Tommy’s death because I was afraid if I let myself go, I might not get back up. I needed the anger, not the despair. Anger was what motivated me.

But right then, with Rafe’s arms around me, it was okay to let go, at least for a little while.

We were both dozing when Rafe’s phone buzzed. I wanted to tell him to ignore it, but I couldn’t. No matter what else I was starting to want, I did want to end Ivanov, and the message could be from fucking Xavier Carrington—the billionaire philanthropist rumored to be the ruler of a vigilante underground and essentially infallible. We couldn’t ignore him.

“Check it.” I nudged him. He sighed and reached out for his phone.

Instead of telling me what it said, he held it up for me to see. The contact’s name simply said “X” and the message: You were right. Go for it.

As I was reading it, another text popped up. “He sent the address.”

Rafe nodded. “Were we right on that too?”

I grinned. “We were.”

I expected him to jump up and start getting dressed since he’d wanted to go after the man the second we’d learned who he was, but he set the phone down, cupped my face between his hands, and pulled me to him for a kiss.

Then he smiled. “Let’s go kill this fucker.”

I nodded, but I pulled him back one more time for another kiss. It wouldn’t be the last one. It couldn’t. We still had time because getting LeBlanc wouldn’t end things. It would only take us one step closer, and we both wanted that. It needed to happen, but I still didn’t know how I was going to walk away when this was done.

We raced across town in the Corvette as Rafe ignored my insistence on following the rule of not doing crime while doing crime. We did not need to get pulled over for speeding.

“Can’t you just flash your credentials or something?” he asked

“That’s not how undercover assignments work.”

“So they’d arrest you if we get caught?”

I sighed. “Yes. I’d eventually get it sorted, but I can’t identify myself to local law enforcement.”

“Interesting. So feds don’t have it as easy as I thought.”

“Not when the mafia owns the police.”

He smiled and sped up. “Then we just don’t get caught, or I use my connection to get us off.”

I held on to the door and prayed we’d survive his insane driving. Thankfully, our mole didn’t live far away. Rafe drove past the house and then parked around the corner on a side street. Adrenaline had my heart racing when we climbed out of the car and made our approach. We’d decided to knock on the door, then pick the lock if he didn’t answer.

“Ready?” Rafe asked.

I nodded. My hand was on my gun as we climbed the steps of the shotgun house that had recently been remodeled but not modernized to death like so many of the houses close by. This would have been easier if the guy lived in a shit neighborhood, but it was obvious he was well paid for his assistance to Ivanov.

Rafe knocked on the door, and we waited. No response. I tilted my head toward the door, indicating he should knock again. I pulled my gun, ready to take him down if he came to the door armed.

Nothing. Not a sound from the house.